Vertical Movement! Vertical Movement!

[annathepiper]

All things considered, today was pretty damned fine. Even given the cranky parking karma I had to deal with tonight--not only did I get a $20 ticket for parking a compact car allegedly over the line in a large car space (which was vexing on the grounds that approximately the entire population of Seattle was looking for parking in the garage that morning and I could not find another place to save my life), but the attendant tonight failed to notice the sticker on my ticket that's supposed to bump the daily rate from $16 down to $7. And when I called her on it, she said and I quote, "You didn't tell me." Which is bullshit, because I haven't had to tell any of the other attendants either. But meh. It's not worth really getting steamed over, and not really annoying enough either to make me try to take the bus down to the hospital rather than driving. We'll hopefully have to do this only a few more days anyway!

Really good progress with solarbird today. A PT chick came by this morning and let her get up and walk around for a bit (ObGBSGeek: "Vertical movement!"), and then we got to sit her up in a chair that really looks Stephen-Hawking-esque and certainly ought to have rocket jets on it. Most of the things stuck in various portions of her have also been removed. The food tube was actually, um, not supposed to come out yet--Dara apparently pulled it about three minutes after I told the nurse I was leaving for lunch--but we lucked out in that they decided not to stick another one in her tonight and instead to see if she passes a swallow test tomorrow morning. If that works out, she can keep the tube out regardless. Her strength and balance and coordination are improving rapidly, as is her voice, and most importantly, her BRAIN! She should be back on her feet and resuming evil plots to take over the world in no--

Ahem. Right. I'm not supposed to tell you that. ;)

My boss continues to be very, very supportive. She says that I haven't been at the Times long enough to be eligible for FMLA coverage, but honestly, I'm okay with that. She's also saying that she'll be totally happy to clear me for this week being unpaid leave, I just need to provide a note from one of the doctors on Dara's status and that they will need me around. I have acquired said note (which basically says that they're expecting maybe another 5-7 days of care and that they'd like me around for psychological support), and will be shooting to return to work next week. Paul will be taking the note in for me. He quipped, when I handed it to him, "Did you also get a hall pass?"

lyonesse, it should deeply amuse you that we had to take Dara's hair out of its braid today and try to brush it out some. And with it all loose and wavy from being in the braid, it looked amazingly like Fang! Add in the old pair of glasses we brought for Dara to use till she's able to put her contacts back in, and really, Vic, she looks amazingly like you.

Flowers have begun arriving--a lovely bouquet from awritersweekend and her spouse (and big thanks go out to them for that!), and a second one brought in person by waysofseeing, who came by for a visit. A whole sheaf of printed emails showed up, from you fine folks here on LJ as well as over half a dozen folks from the OKP, friends of ours in Lexington, and my brother and one of my sisters. Many thanks to all of you who have sent in kind wishes! Paper cards have started arriving in earnest--l_prieto, yours has gotten here and I'll be taking it to Dara tomorrow!

mamishka brought spazzkat and me KFC tonight, with the obligatory tasty mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and biscuits on the side. OMG so tasty. And although it has been some time since I had KFC food, I am here to tell you that it still definitely stands for Kentucky Fried Crack.

I must also give a warm shout out of thanks to britzkrieg, who is apparently responsible for the surprise package for me that showed up at the house today--the second half of the first season DVDs for Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea! :~) Thank you so much!

Last but not least, I have been informed that I have been utterly on crack about how this coming weekend is not in fact the Labor Day weekend. Somehow I managed to convince myself that it was a week later than it actually is, and I'm not even the one with the head injury! The reason this is pertinent, ladies and gentlemen, is that if Dara is okay by then, I may try to show up for the GBS show at Bumbershoot. Dara is improving by the day now--hell, she may be up and walking by then. But I'm not betting that she'd be up for a day trip up to Vancouver by then, so it's not likely we could make the Malkin Bowl show.

But if she's home and okay by then, I may try for Bumbershoot, and will just have to engage in a whole bunch of extra Vertical Movement just for her. 'Cause now, I'll be feeling like I CAN. :~)

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Yep. Kenfrucky Tied Gizzard Parts is definitely much with the yum when you've been stressed and need down-home-type food...

Mother tells me of the time when she was a nurse in the ER, and it was full moon and they were having a night of it... they'd sent the orderly out for KFC, and he got back just in time for the next wave of car crash victims. What to do with the fresh chicken? I know! In the autoclave on low!

Well, when they got done, the chicken was just fine. Perfect.

The little plastic sporks... not so much. :)

Hopefully that's good for a giggle.

I'll try and come up tomorrow night.

[annathepiper]

OH MY GOD, microwaved sporks! *laugh!* Very good for a giggle. ;)

And it was great to see you tonight as well!

[chamois-shimi.livejournal.com]

Now I'm craving KFC! I couldn't bear to eat fried chicken for years after spending a few months cooking it at the Albertson's deli, but my in-laws had it when we were visiting and holy cow, that is indeed the fried crack.

Yay for walking! :D

[annathepiper]

We had the Extra Crispy Crack last night, which I think is not quite as crackalicious as the Original Recipe, but it was still pretty damned tasty! :9

And yay walking indeed! We'll get her back on that bike in no time!

[chamois-shimi.livejournal.com]

If, btw, a 59-year old woman (possibly with man in tow) with a limp shows up to visit, claiming to be my mother, she probably is. :D

[annathepiper]

LOL! I'll keep that in mind! :)

[l-prieto.livejournal.com]

Yeah!

I'm sorry to hear about that dumb ticket, but, wow, vertical movement :)

[annathepiper]

I'm still fairly amazed I'm not more pissed off about that ticket than I am. ;) It probably helps that it's only twenty bucks! And I did get the same parking attendant on a couple subsequent visits, but she was much more amiable, which also helped.

[peregrine-ek.livejournal.com]

Anna, am so happy to hear that Dara's doing so well, and that your boss is being so good about this.

Hope the progress keeps coming.

EK

[annathepiper]

Getting her HOME is fabulous progress indeed! PT still has to happen, but now at least we have her HOME HOME HOME HOME. :D

[peregrine-ek.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on that! May the progress continue onward and upward.

[annathepiper]

Thanks much! We're working on it! And Dara's already impressed her PT people--they demanded to know if she was nineteen or something, because she'd already crammed weeks' worth of recovery time into FOUR DAYS.

[peregrine-ek.livejournal.com]

She has a strong will to get better, and that works in her favor.

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry about your ticket, but so thrilled to hear that Dara is doing so much better.

Here's good thoughts and energy for more improvement every day!

[annathepiper]

I am informed by kathrynt that I sound pretty much incoherent with joy over the phone. *^_^* And yeah, that's about right! Not even the ticket can really put a dent in this. And it helps a LOT to know that we've got only a few more days of needing to deal with the hospital, at most!

[me-fein.livejournal.com]

Yaaay! Keep it going, Dara!

I'm so happy for you all out there. This is fantastic news!

[annathepiper]

I just got off the phone with kathrynt a little bit ago, and she tells me I sound incredibly happy. I told her yeah, pretty much, we're talking incoherent with joy here. Hell, not even last night's parking ticket really puts a dent in this. Because it is FANTASTIC NEWS INDEED. :D

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

hee! i guess fang sends its love too :) actually these days i usually wear contacts myself....

[annathepiper]

Thank you so much, by the way, for the chocolate! :9 Dara got first crack at it tonight!

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

hope you both enjoy :)

[annathepiper]

We have been! Mmmm, chocolate! :9

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy to be reading good and to know things are improving.

[annathepiper]

Thank you! We're happy to know things are improving too, believe me! ;)

[britzkrieg.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome. I hope you and Dara can both enjoy the DVDs.

I'm delighted and relieved to see how Dara is continually improving!

[annathepiper]

I already had the first volume, I just hadn't started watching them yet. I'll be taking those to watch a few with her tomorrow! But we'll definitely get to yours by the time she gets home, I think! :) :) Thanks again!

[young-spaniard.livejournal.com]

Yay!
Keep it strong, Dara! Vertical movement indeed!

[annathepiper]

Gonna have her bouncing and on her bike again in no time. Though hell, she may be up to speed again before the bike is, we still have to repair it!

[annathepiper]

I will! :) Thanks much!

[brightbeak.livejournal.com]

from someone who's had to recover from being intubated more than once, advise her to NOT SNEEZE no matter what she does for at least another week... it hurts like a mo'fo' otherwise :(

but, yes, UP ON FEET!
last time i was intubated i went from extubation to home in under 96 hours :) so there's good odds that she could very well BE up for the vancouver showing! esp since da boyz be da bomb for meds :)

bb

[annathepiper]

Well, we've still got the tickets, so we'll have to see what happens. Much will depend on how comfy the PT folks will be with letting her come home. If she's not home by then, it probably won't happen. If she IS home by then, well, I'll just have to ask her if she wants to give it a shot. :) :)

I've bought my 1-day Bumbershoot pass and will be by gods hitting the Bumbershoot show regardless!

But I'll tell Dara to try to not sneeze. Fortunately that hasn't been an issue so far! Coughing, yes, but that's been rapidly improving as well. :)

[kissare.livejournal.com]

I remembered you talking about missign GBS in Vancouver, and I kept meaning to ask, "What about GBS in Seattle?"

Do you have to show up extra early in the morning for wrist bracelets for that sort of show? I hope she's feeling up to it; GBS would be some GOod Medicine. ;)

[annathepiper]

Heh! Yeah, see, the thing is that Dara and I had been planning to attend the Vancouver show specifically because it's Malkin Bowl and it's one of the few places Dara can actually see them with me and enjoy it. I'd ALSO been thinking of hitting the Bumbershoot show IF I had enough energy left over the next day, but Dara hadn't been actively planning on going to that one with me.

From what they're telling me Dara's probably going to need some intensive PT for the next 1-4 weeks to get her back up to speed, which means no GBS for her this time around unfortunately! :( Her balance and coordination won't be quite back up for Vertical Movement!

[brombear.livejournal.com]

Plans to take over the world? Can I be an evil minion?

Seriously tho...bad on the ticket...karma will get to the stupid attendant, and SCHWEEET on the vertical movement!

[annathepiper]

It's kind of amazing at this point that I'm hardly pissed off at all about the ticket, really. I'm just so glad to have Dara HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME.

And the attendant in question actually was a lot more amiable the last couple of times I had her take my ticket and money, which made me a lot more kindly disposed to her as well. I guess she was having a cranky night or something.